1 Corinthians 11

1 Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.

Imitate me, as I myself imitate Christ.

2 Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me: and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you.

I praise you, indeed, because you never forget me, and are keeping my injunctions in mind, exactly as I laid them upon you.

3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

But I am anxious that you should understand that the Christ is the Head of every man, that man is the Head of woman, and that God is the Head of the Christ.

4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraceth his head.

Any man who keeps his head covered, when praying or preaching in public, dishonours him who is his Head;

5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered, disgraceth her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven.

while any woman, who prays or preaches in public bare-headed, dishonours him who is her Head; for that is to make herself like one of the shameless women who shave their heads.

6 For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head.

Indeed, if a woman does not keep her head covered, she may as well cut her hair short. But, since to cut her hair short, or shave it off, marks her as one of the shameless women, let her keep her head covered.

7 The man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man.

A man ought not to have his head covered, for he has been from the beginning ‘the likeness of God’ and the reflection of his glory, but woman is the reflection of man’s glory.

8 For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.

For it was not man who was taken from woman, but woman who was taken from man.

9 For the man was not created for the woman, but the woman for the man.

Besides, man was not created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.

10 Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because of the angels.

And, therefore, a woman ought to wear on her head a symbol of her subjection, because of the presence of the angels.

11 But yet neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord.

Still, when in union with the Lord, woman is not independent of man, or man of woman;

12 For as the woman is of the man, so also is the man by the woman: but all things of God.

for just as woman came from man, so man comes by means of woman; and all things come from God.

13 You yourselves judge: doth it become a woman, to pray unto God uncovered?

Judge for yourselves. Is it fitting that a woman should pray to God in public with her head uncovered?

14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that a man indeed, if he nourish his hair, it is a shame unto him?

Does not nature herself teach us that, while for a man to wear his hair long is degrading to him,

15 But if a woman nourish her hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

a woman’s long hair is her glory? Her hair has been given her to serve as a covering.

16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the church of God.

If, however, any one still thinks it right to contest the point — well, we have no such custom, nor have the Churches of God.

17 Now this I ordain: not praising you, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse.

In giving directions on the next subject, I cannot praise you; because your meetings do more harm than good.

18 For first of all I hear that when you come together in the church, there are schisms among you; and in part I believe it.

To begin with, I hear you and, to some extent, I believe it.

19 For there must be also heresies: that they also, who are approved, may be made manifest among you.

Indeed, there must be actual parties among you, for so only will the men of real worth become known.

20 When you come therefore together into one place, it is not now to eat the Lord’s supper.

When you meet together, as I understand, it is not possible to eat the Lord’s Supper;

21 For every one taketh before his own supper to eat. And one indeed is hungry and another is drunk.

for, as you eat, each of you tries to secure his own supper first, with the result that one has too little to eat, and another has too much to drink!

22 What, have you not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise ye the church of God; and put them to shame that have not? What shall I say to you? Do I praise you? In this I praise you not.

Have you no houses in which you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to show your contempt for the Church of God, and to humiliate the poor? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this matter I cannot praise you.

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread.

For I myself received from the Lord the account which I have in turn given to you — how the Lord Jesus, on the very night of his betrayal, took some bread,

24 And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me.

and, after saying the thanksgiving, broke it and said “This is my own body given on your behalf. Do this in memory of me.”

25 In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me.

And in the same way with the cup, after supper, saying “This cup is the new Covenant made by my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in memory of me.”

26 For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come.

For whenever you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death — till he comes.

27 Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord.

Therefore, whoever eats the bread, or drinks the Lord’s cup, in an irreverent spirit, will have to answer for an offence against the Lord’s body and blood.

28 But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice.

Let each man look into his own heart, and only then eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

For the man who eats and drinks brings a judgment upon himself by his eating and drinking, when he does not discern the body.

30 Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep.

That is why so many among you are weak and ill, and why some are sleeping.

31 But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

But, if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.

32 But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world.

Yet, in being judged by the Lord, we are undergoing discipline, so that we may not have judgment passed upon us with the rest of the world.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Therefore, my Brothers, when you meet together to eat the Supper, wait for one another.

34 If any man be hungry, let him eat at home; that you come not together unto judgment. And the rest I will set in order, when I come.

If a man is hungry, let him eat at home, so that your meetings may not bring a judgment upon you. The other details I will settle when I come.